Davies, 38, is CFO at Tysons-based Octo Consulting Group, which provides information technology and management consulting services to the federal government. The privately held company has 110 employees and recorded $24.85 million in revenue in 2012. Born in Woodbridge and a soon-to-be resident of Fairfax Station, Davies has previously been a mergers and acquisitions consultant at Ernst & Young LLP and Dominion Resources Inc.

Proudest achievement as CFO: The culture here at Octo. It is very different from any place I’ve ever worked. If you go to award events, we’re known for being the loudest group in the bunch, very enthusiastic, very energized atmosphere. Coming in here, one of my tasks was to bring some policies and procedures and rules and regulations. My challenge was not to change the culture at the same time. I was able to put all those policies and procedures in place. The company is approved from a [Defense Contract Audit Agency] standpoint and still maintains the same culture that energizes the company on a day-to-day basis.

What changes did you implement? Prior to me coming in, you didn’t have someone sitting there making sure you’re following every single rule and regulation out there. Making sure time is tracked — when you break it down and understand where people are spending their time and how they’re spending their time — helps you from an investment perspective. You need to know where the best use of your money will be. Getting them to follow these processes and procedures enables you to have that type of data at your fingertips.

How did you implement these changes? Taking time to get to know the people in the company was the first step. One-on-one time or in small groups, having some opportunities to relax and talk about projects, basically explaining to them the benefits of following these procedures.

What person had the most influence on you? My father probably had the biggest influence on me. My father works for the federal government, but he did own a business on the side, where he and a couple investors owned some land. He was big on “nothing is handed to you” and working for everything you get. By the time I was about 12 years old, he put me to work at some of the land he had, flipping rentals. Some of the people who lived in these rentals didn’t take care of them. I’d be given the responsibility to clean out the rentals, and what I took away from that experience was that, to truly understand something, you got to put the time in, you got to put the effort in, and you really got to live it. Having that perspective has made it much easier for me working with people.

How do you make sure you quickly become aware of any problems in your company’s financial operations without micromanaging routine activities? One of the biggest things I instituted is dashboard reporting. You can’t survive without dashboard metrics in front of you. At the end of the day, the executive wants the dashboard reporting and the key issues at hand. Otherwise you get bogged down by too much detail.

If you could redesign the U.S. tax code, what major change would you make? I’d love to tell you there’s a simple answer to that, but that’s a pretty complex question. If I could make one change in the U.S. tax law, I am a proponent of a single tax rate for our businesses. I think it would be easier and more competitive for us to be in a single tax rate, both internationally as well as in the U.S. It will put us on an equal footing on a global perspective. I believe [deductions] should still be in place, but a single tax rate will help us be more competitive internationally.

Many people think accountants and CFOs lack a sense of humor. Can you dispel them of that notion? I might be able to, I might not. You have to go out with me one night to find out.

Favorite number: Three, and that’s because that’s the number of kids I have.